Manchester United have successfully appealed Bruno Fernandes’ red card against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Fernandes, 30, has had his three-game suspension lifted after the Football Association (FA) upheld a claim of “wrongful dismissal”.
The United captain was sent off for serious foul play after tripping James Maddison with a knee-high tackle three minutes before half-time in the 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
The club’s successful appeal means that the midfielder is available for United’s upcoming Premier League games against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham United.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Fernandes claimed the tackle was a “clear foul” but “never a red card”.
Bruno Fernandes (right) slips as he attempts to tackle James Maddison
Fernandes makes contact with Maddison’s left leg and is subsequently sent off for serious foul play
“I agree that it is a foul,” he said. “The referee tried to tell me that as he saw it was a clear contact with the studs, no. I didn’t touch him with the studs or even the foot, it was my ankle. It is a clear foul.
“If he wants to give me a yellow because they are going to go on a counter then I agree. But more than that, no. It is not the case.”
The Premier League said the incident was checked by VAR Peter Bankes and confirmed the referee’s call of serious foul play, which carries a one-match suspension.
The Football Association (FA) Handbook says a player is guilty of serious foul play if “he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent when challenging for the ball when it is in play” or “a tackle that endangers the safety of an opponent must be sanctioned as serious foul play”.
“Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force and endangering the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play,” it adds.
Defeat to Spurs leaves United 11th in the table having taken seven points from their opening six games.
Ten Hag retains his most dependable player
Analysis
This is a significant boost to Manchester United and Erik ten Hag. Bruno Fernandes has not been at his best this campaign but the team has greater creative potential with him in it.
He is Ten Hag’s most dependable player, and his main communicator on the field.
Fernandes would have missed games against Aston Villa, Brentford and West Ham, and Ten Hag will be grateful to have him as an option given the focus on his position.
Ten Hag might also be thinking how the officials should have corrected the call at the time, through VAR. United were being outplayed by Tottenham, but had they been able to keep 11 men the contest might have gone differently.
(PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
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